NOVEL NEXT Chapter 142: Fights and New Encounters
Rooftop Standoff – Shadow's Stream
Shadow's eyes drifted to the corporate building that was about to be infiltrated.
『Hrmm…』
Nothing about it stood out at first glance──just another faceless glass and steel structure in the city. But the way these men moved, the weight of their cases, the sheer precision… something gnawed at his instincts.
『I've seen this kind of operation before.』
He exhaled slowly.
『This isn't a simple break-in.』
Something was about to go down.
And judging by the gear they were packing, it was big.
Shadow stepped forward to close the distance between himself and the rooftop's edge. His black boots barely made a sound against the concrete as his entire being was now focused on the tactical unit below.
He peered down, his masked gaze locked onto the thieves as they moved with trained smoothness.
Then—like clockwork—two figures flanked him.
On his left, Vixen crouched low as her black and crimson bodysuit gleamed under the city lights, long fox tail flicking with interest.
On his right, Dog Girl perched and her floppy ears twitched as she sniffed the air, tail wagging absentmindedly.
[Live Comments:]
[AYO. TOO EARLY TO BE FARMING AURA LIKE THIS.]
[FR FR, EVEN NIGHTWATCH DON'T BE FARMING THIS MUCH AURA.]
[Nahhh, this dude living the LIFE. Bro got a CAT GIRL and DOG GIRL NEXT TO HIM. I NEED MY OWN ANIMAL WAIFU 😭🙏 GIVE IT TO MEEEEE!!]
[Even my GOAT Nightwatch don't be pulling this many bitches… literally.]
One user tried to rein in the madness:
[Can we STOP talking about Nightwatch on Shadow's stream for ONE damn second?! Y'all did the same thing to Nightwatch whenever Rope Girl was referenced in the slightest. Focus on SHADOW, the dude actually doing hero shit! Unlike a certain someone who dipped when things got heavy.]
└ [Damn, that's deep.]
└ [Yeah, but I still don't believe Nightwatch dipped. Ready to die on that hill. GOAT behavior.]
･･･
Shadow ignored the chat completely, his focus sharp as he studied the thieves.
That was… until Dog Girl suddenly perked up.
"Ohhhh…"
She murmured, ears twitching in realization.
"This must be what Witch was talking about…"
Shadow and Vixen both turned their heads at the same time.
"Huh?"
Dog Girl giggled nervously, twiddling her index fingers.
"Uhh… you see… I was kinda sorta supposed to be working with Witch and Sniperess to track a gang that's been hitting high-security spots? And… uh… yeah, this was one of the places she told me to check out."
The silence was deafening.
Vixen and Shadow stared at her, utterly dumbfounded.
[Live Comments:]
[…She's dumb as hell.]
[WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND TRUSTED DOG GIRL WITH AN ASSIGNMENT?]
This sparked absolute war in the chat.
[YOU DARE INSULT WITCH?! SHE'S ONE OF THE NEWEST, BADDEST HEROES OUT THERE. I AIN'T SEEN ANYONE HOTTER THAN THAT SADISTIC BITCH.] Continue reading at My Virtual Library Empire
└ [I came just from picturing her stern face. 😩]
└ [Meh. Witch is too flat. Great fighter, maybe even better than Rope Girl, but that's 'cause she's Asian and shit. She's mid.]
└ [Bro really said she's a good fighter because she's Asian 💀 chill out Captain AmeriKKKa…]
└ [FR, bro is lore accurate Captain America. 💀]
[Pointless debate. Witch IS flat but that makes her sexy. Y'all sleeping on her super suit.]
└ [Bro the way she squints is so sexy. 🥴]
･･･
Shadow pressed a hand to his mask in sheer frustration.
"… And you didn't think to TELL US this before?"
Vixen deadpanned.
"So we've been standing here, wasting our time on bickering and pants-pissing, when we could've been doing actual hero work?"
Dog Girl looked down at the rooftop as she twiddled her fingers harder.
"Ehehe… my bad?"
Vixen sighed.
Then—without warning—she pressed a palm against Shadow's masked face, shoving him slightly.
"Shhhh. We can deal with that later. Look."
She gestured down below.
Shadow and Dog Girl followed her gaze—just in time to witness something that made all three of them stiffen.
The thieves were placing four small cube-like devices against the wall, forming a perfect square.
One of them muttered, "This shit better work."
Another smirked. "It will."
He pressed a button.
Vvvvvvvmmm…!
The affected section of the wall glowed, then turned completely transparent.
The thief reached in—his hand phasing straight through the building like it was water.
It worked.
The group erupted into excited cackling, shaking hands like they'd just won the lottery.
The chat went ballistic.
[Live Comments:]
[EXCUSE ME? WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?]
[Bro just toggled no-clip in real life.]
[This some straight-up voodoo bullshit.]
[Nahhhh, we really living in a cyberpunk arc.]
└ [It's 2045 you dumb fuck 🤦♂️]
[Wait, wait, I know what this is! It's using phased matter displacement! They're shifting the building's molecules into a temporary quantum state, letting them pass through! Holy shit, this is GENIUS.]
└ [Shut up, nerd.]
└ ["Water is H2O" ahh 🤓☝️]
･･･
Shadow's fingers twitched.
This wasn't just an average street gang.
These guys had tech. Advanced ones.
『Their tech… it feels… familiar…』
Shadow remained still, completely composed, watching as the thieves phased through the building with ease.
The way their hands slipped effortlessly past solid walls—it was the kind of high-level infiltration tech that shouldn't be in the hands of random criminals.
Yet here they were.
He exhaled through his nose.
『This is REALLY starting to feel a little too familiar…』
Behind him, Vixen sighed, resting her chin on her palm.
"So, what do we do now? Just keep staring?"
Dog Girl's tail wagged wildly as she tapped his shoulder.
"Yeah, what's the next step, boss?!"
She grinned, pumping her fists like she was already gearing up for a fight.
Shadow lifted a brow beneath his mask.
"… Wait, what?"
He tilted his head slightly.
"I'm not your boss."
Dog Girl shook her head furiously.
"No, no, you are!"
She declared with utmost confidence.
"As long as you can comfortably bathe me four times a week and feed me steak every day, then I'm sure you'd make a suitable boss! Right, boss──?!"
She grinned, flashing her rows of sharp teeth as she nodded like an overly eager pup.
[Live Comments:]
[OH MY GOD, SHE'S SO CUTE, I CAN'T.]
[Nah, but is Shadow really gonna be bathing her tho? 🤨]
[Bro, that's kinda weird…]
[Weird? YOU TELLIN' ME YOU WOULDN'T BE HARD SECONDS AFTER SEEING THAT TAIL LODGED BETWEEN HER LITTLE ASS CHEEKS?]
└ [Woah, calm down, Satan…]
└ [Bruh. 💀]
└ [I am SO glad you're not there. Contain your lust, my guy. It ain't that deep. 💀]
･･･
Shadow ignored the madness in the chat and refocused on the thieves. They were already making their way inside, slipping past the phased section of the wall one by one.
His fingers twitched slightly as he exhaled.
"… Alright. We approach this calmly."
He instructed with a cool and measured voice.
"These guys don't seem like your average, NPC-tier robbers. If we don't act smart and fast, we could really get ki──"
THUD!
A loud sound cut him off.
Both Shadow and the two women snapped their heads toward the noise—only to see Marmot Man sprawled across the edge of the rooftop as his stubby legs flailed.
Somehow, this absolute buffoon had managed to trip over a stack of bricks and nearly plummeted off the side.
The only thing keeping him from falling? His pants.
They'd gotten snagged on a jutting piece of concrete and left him dangling pathetically over the side.
Even the thieves, mid-infiltration, turned to stare.
A painful silence stretched across the rooftop.
Marmot Man slowly raised a hand and awkwardly waved at the robbers.
"Uhm… hey, guys. Don't mind me. I'm just, uh…"
He glanced down at the sheer drop below him, then back at them.
"… Just hanging around, y'know?"
[Live Comments:]
[BRO?]
[NO WAY. NOOOOO WAYYYYY.]
[This fat bastard just ruined everything 😭😭😭]
[HOW IS HE EVEN ALIVE?]
[Rewind that shit. How did he even TRIP???]
└ [I analyzed the footage, and I'm convinced his obesity is the cause of global warming.]
└ [Gravity and bad life decisions had a kid, and it's him.]
[Rewatch the clip. It doesn't even make sense. How did his pants get CAUGHT like that???]
└ [Physics gave up. Ain't no way.]
└ [Ain't no way he defied all logic just to fumble this hard.]
The thieves stared.
Then—without hesitation—they whipped out their weapons.
Heavy-duty plasma rifles, shoulder-mounted cannons, and some kind of high-tech gauntlet that hummed with dangerous energy.
Not only did they aim at Marmot Man… but several had already locked onto Shadow and his crew.
Shadow dragged a slow hand over his mask.
"Oh, brother…" he muttered. "This guy sucks."
The chat exploded.
[NOOOO, THIS DUMBASS RUINED EVERYTHING.]
[KICK HIM FROM THE STREAM. KICK HIM OFF THE ROOF. KICK HIM FROM THE CITY. 😡🤬]
[He is literally the embodiment of an L.]
[Bro folded under zero pressure.]
[Fat man pulled an Assassin's Creed mission and failed at the first step.]
One of the thieves barked out an order.
"Two of you guys—get inside! The rest, take care of these flipping bastards!"
"YES, BOSS!" they shouted in unison.
Two of them immediately turned and phased into the building, while the other five huge men leveled their weapons at Shadow's group.
Shadow's eyes sharpened.
"Move now!" he commanded.
"Dog Girl, get Marmot Man out of here! Vixen, we're handling these guys!"
Dog Girl threw up a dramatic salute while shooting her chest out which caused her shapely breasts to jiggle.
"Aye, sir!"
She beamed and her tail wagged furiously as she darted toward Marmot Man.
However, Vixen went completely still.
"Wait, really?"
Her ears twitched in sheer panic.
Even her tail had shot up──stiff as a board.
"We have to fight these guys?"
Shadow glanced at her.
"…Mhm. Haven't you fought before?"
Vixen hesitated.
She rubbed her arm awkwardly, looking away.
"Well… uhm… not really."
The chat erupted into war.
[OH MY GOD, NOW IS NOT THE TIME FOR ALL THAT ROMANCE CRAP.]
[NO. YOU'RE JOKING. YOU'RE JOKING. SHE HASN'T FOUGHT BEFORE????]
[Bro, are you telling me she's been standing around looking pretty this whole time???]
[That's it. I'm switching to Nightwatch's stream.]
└ [Shut your mouth. Shut it right now.]
└ [FR. Bro talking like Goatwatch streams anymore 😭]
[This really says a lot about the current state of the Hero Agency and proves that Nightwatch was right to be a vigilante. Many heroes today aren't pushing themselves to their limits anymore—they're just messing around. Imagine a hero in the golden era saying they couldn't fight. They'd be laughed at. But now, we've normalized it, and heroes like The Peak and Foxgirl, who barely do anything, are getting featured on massive billboards.]
└ [Don't you ever disrespect Foxgirl like that again.]
└ [FR. Bro talking like Foxgirl ain't better than Peak. 😐]
└ [Average gooner comment. 💀]
･･･
Shadow sighed deeply.
"…We'll deal with that later."
He flexed his fingers to size up the gunmen.
For now, there was only one thing to do.
Win.
… BOOM!
A deafening explosion of plasma fire erupted across the rooftop.
The thieves wasted no time. Their fingers squeezed the triggers and released a blinding barrage of high-energy projectiles. The air crackled violently as streaks of burning plasma tore through the night.
But Shadow? He didn't wait.
His muscles tensed. His breath sharpened.
Then—BOOM!
The entire rooftop shuddered as he pushed off, launching himself into the air with terrifying force. Cracks splintered beneath his feet, and an instant later, he was diving straight into the storm of plasma.
[Live Comments:]
[HOLY FUCK DID HE JUST JUMP???]
[Bro launched like a missile wtf 💀💀💀]
[Ain't no way he tanking all that.]
[HE'S FUCKING DEAD. NO MORE SHADOW. LMAO.]
Shadow's body twisted mid-air.
Plasma beams sizzled past him, illuminating his dark figure like flashing strobe lights. He weaved, just barely slipping past a deadly bolt aimed for his chest, then rolled mid-flight to avoid another scorching line of fire.
Then—he vanished.
One second, he was there.
The next, his form dissolved into wisps of darkness, scattering like drifting smoke.
Panic seized the robbers.
"H-Huh…?"
One of them darted their eyes around wildly.
"Where the fuck did he go──?!"
Still gripping his plasma rifle, another thug frustratedly clicked his tongue.
"Are you serious? We watch small-sized women like Lady Fortress throw entire warehouses across the sea every week, and you're shocked by this?!"
[Live Comments:]
[HE SAID LADY FORTRESS LMAO]
[Nah, but he got a point. Shadow doing some light work rn.]
[This is what happens when grunts don't get proper training. They scared over basic shit.]
[The REAL question is—what's his next move? 🤔]
└ [Bro's obviously gonna reappear and take someone down instantly.]
└ [Nah, I bet he goes for their leader first.]
└ [You guys are thinking too small. He's gonna pull a combo move.]
･･･
Just then—
A voice cut through the tension.
"I agree."
A whisper, smooth yet chilling.
Before the robbers could even react, Shadow materialized in their center.
CRACK!
With one fluid motion, he delivered a blinding-fast chop to the nearest thug's neck.
The man's body went stiff—then collapsed instantly.
"Wha—?!"
Another thief barely had time to process before Shadow's foot smashed into his throat.
He choked, staggering back.
Another thug raised his plasma rifle, but Shadow flickered again. He reappeared behind them, then his leg instantly swept low.
WHAM!
The thug hit the ground hard.
Before he could recover, Shadow buried his foot into his side and sent him rolling in agony.
The final two robbers scrambled to aim their weapons—
But Shadow was already gone.
His form flashed in and out of existence, then his body warped between shadows. One second he was on the left, the next he was on the right—then he was everywhere at once.
"H-, HOW THE HELL──?!"
Then—BOOM!
Shadow slammed both hands around their throats and drove them into the ground with a double choke slam. The sheer force sent deep cracks webbing across the concrete.
A stunned silence followed.
Then—
The chat exploded.
[OH MY FUCKING GOD.]
[SHADOW JUST FUCKING BODIED THEM ALL.]
[That was the cleanest takedown I've ever seen.]
[The combos were INSANE. Nah, he's HIM.]
[No cap, he's a better fighter than Rope Girl. She be struggling against low-tier villains 😭💀]
└ [Y'all always hating on Rope Girl. Give her a break.]
└ [Rope Girl and Hate in the same sentence? Nah. 💀]
└ [Nah, let's be real—Shadow's smooth as fuck. The transitions? Chef's kiss.]
└ [Still not better than Nightwatch tho.]
[Bro we NOT comparing again. Can y'all just ENJOY the stream for once?! 😤]
Shadow lifted an eyebrow at the chat.
"Not as good as Nightwatch?"
He exhaled sharply, shaking his head.
『Jeez. These guys are impossible to please.』
Still, he didn't dwell on it. With a flick of his wrist, he started gathering the downed robbers' weapons.
That was when Vixen landed beside him.
She dropped gracefully from the rooftop, landing on all fours.
Her ears twitched, her tail stiff—eyes wide with shock.
She stared at him. "W-, Wow…"
Shadow glanced over. "… What?"
Vixen hesitated, then muttered.
"When you said you were really a superhero… I thought it was just some kind of strategic PR stunt."
She gulped.
"But after seeing this… you're way better at it than me."
Shadow sighed.
"Well, it's not a big deal at this point. I ju──"
He paused.
Both he and Vixen turned—
And saw Dog Girl galloping toward them.
She had Marmot Man clenched in her teeth.
The absolute ease with which she dragged his fat ass across the ground was horrifying.
Dog Girl finally skidded to a stop in front of Shadow, panting like an excited pup, her tail wagging furiously. She stared up at him, her tongue slightly out, eyes bright with joy.
Shadow blinked. "… Hm?"
[Live Comments:]
[GODDAMN SHE REALLY HAULED HIS FAT ASS LIKE A SACK OF POTATOES.]
[Bro she ain't even struggle a LITTLE BIT.]
[I SWEAR TO GOD, IF SHADOW DOESN'T PET HER, I'M GONNA RIOT.]
[PRESS X TO PET.]
[DO IT. PAT HER. RIGHT NOW.]
[10K DONO IF HE PATS HER.]
[$10,000 DONATION: PAT HER THE FUCK ALREADY.]
Shadow dragged a hand over his mask.
"Jeez, can y'all chill out—"
With a sigh, he reached for Dog Girl's head.
Just as his fingers were about to touch her fur—
BANG!
A bullet whizzed through the air.
Shadow instantly dissolved into darkness to dodge it completely.
He reappeared a few meters away, his eyes narrowing.
"Stay on alert!" he commanded.
Vixen tensed.
Dog Girl snapped to attention, ears perking.
Even Marmot Man groaned, half-raising his fists like he could actually fight.
Then—
From the shadows of the alley, a figure emerged.
A sexily shaped woman in a sleek, black bodysuit with red accents, holding a high-tech sniper rifle.
She groaned a little.
"Hrmm. I didn't exactly miss, so that doesn't count."
Then, another figure stepped into the dim light.
A petite yet impossibly elegant woman with a billowing black cape. Her beautiful, dark eyes scanned the area with a calm, analytical gaze.
She hummed. "… They don't look like robbers."
Shadow's jaw tightened.
It was Sniperess and Witch.
Superheroes from Rope Girl's division.
[Live Comments:]
[OH SHIT IT'S THEM???]
[Wait wait—WHAT THE FUCK ARE THEY DOING HERE?!]
[Witch kinda bad tho. 🥵]
└ [She so petite it's painfully sexy 😩 you just know she can ride these nuts like crazy!]
[We about to get some DRAMA???]
Shadow exhaled.
This night just got even more complicated.
━ TO BE CONTINUED.